By TONY RIZZO

The Kansas City Star

Federal prosecutors have charged two Kansas City, Kan., men with participating in a three-state Midwest dogfighting ring that was broken up Saturday at a fight in Texas.  Federal officials have broken up a three-state dogfighting ring that they say trained some dogs on treadmills in Kansas City, Kan. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom (center) spoke about the charges during a press conference Monday at the federal courthouse in Kansas City, Kan.

Federal officials have broken up a three-state Midwest dog-fighting ring that they say trained some dogs on treadmills in Kansas City, Kan.  Authorities seized 71 dogs, most of them pit bulls, over the weekend in Kansas, Missouri and Texas, said Barry Grissom, the U.S. attorney for Kansas.  Among the sites searched were a Kansas City, Kan., residence — where some dogs allegedly were trained using treadmills and caged chickens — and a northern Missouri farm owned by one of the suspects, authorities said.

Pete Davis Jr., 38, and Melvin L. Robinson, 41, are charged in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., with transporting dogs in interstate commerce to participate in animal fighting. If convicted, each man faces up to five years in federal prison.  The two men owned as many as 60 dogs that were kept mainly at the farm in Harrison County, Mo., where fights were held on Sundays, according to court documents unsealed Monday.

Medical teams from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are caring for the seized dogs and six rescued chickens , authorities said Monday.  Staff from Wayside Waifs in Kansas City and Great Plains SPCA in Merriam are helping with operations to care for the animals in a temporary shelter, ASPCA officials said.

“Dogfighting is not a sport. It is a crime,” Grissom said at a Monday afternoon news conference.  The charges and animal rescues were the result of a five-month investigation by federal, state and local law enforcement officers and the ASPCA, Grissom said. He said that partnership showed that authorities take the crime very seriously.

“We hope this will send a message,” Grissom said. “This kind of behavior has to stop.”

According to the allegations, Robinson used treadmills and weights to train the dogs, which sometimes killed chickens in the exercises.  A plywood box kept the dogs on the treadmills and Robinson allegedly would place a harnesses on the dogs and chain the harnesses to the treadmills for hours at a time.  Davis, Robinson and a third person allegedly removed two dead dogs from the farm this month and disposed of them in Kansas.  Witnesses told investigators that Robinson and Davis discussed traveling to Texas in late March for a large “dog show,” which is code for dogfight, federal investigators said.  Robinson and Davis also talked about plans to wager $20,000 to $30,000 on the fights, according to the documents.

On Friday, law enforcement officers followed the pair and several other people traveling in a three-vehicle convoy through Oklahoma and into Texas to a location near Tyler.  At Monday’s news conference, authorities said about 30 people were attending the fight Saturday night in a wooded area when police moved in.  One of the Kansas City, Kan., men was arrested there, but authorities did not say which one.  The other man turned himself in to authorities in Kansas.  Many people attending the fight fled when police arrived. “Like cockroaches when the lights are turned on,” Grissom said.

A similar joint investigation in 2009 that centered on northwest Missouri broke the largest U.S. dogfighting ring, involving more than 400 dogs. Though the case announced Monday was not as large, it still was a significant operation, said Tim Rickey, the vice president of the ASCPA’s field investigations and response team.

Rickey said the animals’ health is being assessed while they are held as evidence in the criminal cases.  The goal is to rehabilitate as many of the dogs as possible and prepare them for adoption, he said.  “In our eyes,these dogs have suffered tremendously as a result of this for-profit crime,” he said. “We want to give these dogs a second chance.”  Despite the disruption of two major operations in the area since 2009, dogfighting remains prevalent, Rickey said.  “My goal — our goal — is to put an end to this brutal and barbaric industry,” he said.

See video.

To reach Tony Rizzo, call 816-234-4435 or send email to trizzo@kcstar.com.

Remember back in October 2012 when Vick and his young daughter were sitting at the kitchen table with a red box of Milk Bone dog biscuits? Now we know the identity of the puppy who chews on those biscuits. On Monday evening, Vick, his family, and a bodyguard were at a New Jersey PetSmart attending a class on dog training.

According to Crossing Broad. com the Belgian Malinois puppy named Angel is attending the training classes; this past Monday was her second lesson. She has four more to go.

Why are we not surprised that Vick chose a working dog? The Belgian Malinois breeds are often used as police dogs and in fact were part of the Navy raid team in the capture and killing of Bin Laden.

While many humane supporters will never forgive Vick for the egregious treatment of his dogs during his illegal dog fighting operation, Vick served 18 months in federal prison and finished his three year probation where he was banned from owning a dog. His past cruelties towards dogs will likely never be forgotten nor forgiven by a great many people and of course the dogs who died trying, but rest assured, the world will be watching.

Mostly everyone knew there was a dog in his family’s future when he announced he wanted his children to have a dog. According to Vick, his dog is “well cared for and loved.”

No one really knows if Vick was ever sorry for the dogs who didn’t win or didn’t die fast enough from the torture inflicted upon them.

$1 an entry! Pick a puppy by picking a sex and a number and then picking a name! For example, you would click the donate button below and then put in the special instructions section – Boy 4 – Bubbalicious. If you’d like to pick more than one name, feel free! It’s just a dollar donation a name, no limit. For multiples you would write – Boy 4 – Bubbalicious, Greg, Boy 5 – Edward, Harry, Girl 2 – Genevieve, Shortcake and make your donation for $6. It’s that simple! If you really love a name, and want to increase the chances enter that name as many times as you’d like! Example: Girl 1 – Princess Buttercup x 20, then just donate $20. Use the photo above for reference on numbers and sex (boys are blue, girls are pink, duh ). All names received will be recorded and picked at random for each pup, if you decided to enter a name 20 times we will put that name in 20 times – do not fear! Don’t let these adorable kids go nameless! Get to pickin! Use the donation button below that we’ve set up just for this purpose, thanks!

These pups came to us via KCPP at one day old. Their mom, Leeloo, who came in as a stray, is absolutely precious and a wonderful mother who will also be available when her duties are done. Mama dogs make awesome pets! If you’re in the market for a puppy use this time to pick one of these adorable babes to app for, they’ll be ready in about 8 weeks! And Leeloo too! You’re going to want to be first in line for these guys.

ST. CHARLES, MO (KTVI) – It was pit bull round up day in one small Missouri town.  Some say it’s not protecting the public, but claim it’s robbing responsible owners of their family pets.

It took place in Sikeston, MO.  Fox 2′s Chris Hayes found out about the program after learning about a sudden influx of dogs coming to the St. Louis area.

About 20 dogs from Sikeston were shipped up to St. Charles to make room for seized pit bulls in Southern Missouri. The reported pit bulls may have no reported problems.  Some may not even be pit bulls, like Yulonda Mitchell’s dogs.  Mitchell said officers took her brother’s dogs, even though she believed they were bulldogs.

She said her family dogs were, “…licensed and up to date on their shots.  We did everything, you know, complied with the City ordinance but they still wanted to remove the dogs.” Chris Hayes asked, “This was a family pet?” Mitchell, “It was a family pet.”

Yet she says no one touches the strays like we saw right after our interview.

Mitchell explained, “I said why don`t you guys get those dogs? (The animal control officers) say, well those dogs are just too smart for us. We can`t catch `em.”

Holly Jobe said officers almost got her pet.

Jobe explained, “They said they were going to take her because she does not like a man in uniform. Ha ha.  And she tried to go after him because they were tampering with her property and I told them they was not taking my dog.”

So she complied with a long list of regulations that only apply to pit bulls in Sikeston — put up a ‘beware of dog’ sign, get insurance, put on a hard collar on the dog, take multiple pictures and so on.

Mark and Jamie Buehrle started fighting for pit bulls nationwide after finding so many people who don’t understand.  Jamie said, “All they know is the media they see and the horror stories and the neighbor’s brother’s sister that got attacked.  Half of them meet (our pit bull mutt) Slater and then are rolling on the floor with him by the time they leave our house. (Mark says) Every kid that comes to our house goes right to him.”

The Buehrle’s faced a pit bull ban when Mark pitched for the Miami Marlins. So they moved to the suburbs.  Next year he pitches for Toronto, where there’s another pit bull ban.  Jamie believes the regulations have no impact on irresponsible dog owners.

Jamie said, “It`s people like my family that actually try to abide by the law, live up to your ordinances of your town, that it`s affecting.  Now it`s affected us twice in a two year period.”

Fox2 made five calls to representatives of the City of Sikeston, with no response. The pit bulls seized apparently risked immediate euthanasia. To prevent that, a Sikeston shelter sent about 35 dogs to other shelters.  Most came to the St. Louis area.  20 came to the no kill St. Charles Five Acres shelter.  They’re various breeds that now need homes in the St. Louis area, because of a roundup 150 miles away.

See video: Missouri Town Seizes Pet Pitbulls

Missouri Town on Mission to Kill Pit Bull Pets, Residents Fight Back

Residents in Sikeston, Mo., are claiming their pit bulls pets are being targeted, their lives threatened. In fact, dozens of dogs were removed from their homes and risked immediate euthanasia.

One woman, Yulonda Mitchell, said her dogs — which aren’t even pit bulls — are licensed and up to date on their shots. She said they complied with the city ordinances, but still her dogs were taken by animal control officers.

Mitchell told FOX 4 Now she asked the officer why they weren’t trying to catch stray dogs. According to Mitchell, the animal control officer said, “Those dogs are just too smart for us. We can’t catch them.”

Another woman, Holly Jobe, said officers nearly took her dog.

“They said they were going to take her because she does not like a man in uniform,” Jobe told FOX 2. “And she tried to go after him because they were tampering with her property, and I told them they was not taking my dog.”

Jobe said she was then forced to comply with a long list of regulations that only apply to pit bulls in Sikeston — regulations that include putting up a “beware of dog” sign, buying insurance, putting a hard collar on the dog, take multiple pictures and more.

FOX 2 called the City of Sikeston five different times, but received no response. The pit bulls that were seized risked immediate euthanasia. To prevent their deaths, a shelter in Sikeston shipped 35 dogs to other shelters.

Over 300 people have sent letters to Sikeston City Council members asking for a repeal.

It was a whirlwind courtship and it looks like the new couple have settled in nicely. Mom and Dad couldn’t be happier

ASHLAND CITY, Tenn.- Animal rescue investigators say it is one of the most disturbing and largest alleged dog fighting operations they have ever discovered in the state of Tennessee.

Sixty-five dogs were found chained up, emaciated and abused behind a house on Buckeye Road in Ashland City on Thanksgiving. The dogs were found by accident after fire fighters were called to extinguish a brush fire, the same fire that nearly killed the dogs, in a way, also saved them.

“It’s just unbelievable that these dogs are even alive. This has been going on for probably decades,” explained Scotlund Haisley with the Animal Rescue Corps.

The organization spent the entire day Saturday cutting the dogs from chains and placing them in crates so they could be moved to a warehouse in Lebanon where each one will be evaluated and nursed back to health.

“It’s a living hell. Absolutely horrendous conditions, I mean emaciated pit bulls, infected, old infected wounds. Tons of scaring, broken bones, you name it. This is one of the worst pit bull fighting cases I have ever seen,” Haisley added.

Investigators haven’t charged anyone yet, but federal officials were in Ashland City on Saturday because dog fighting is considered a federal felony. The owner of the home where the dogs were found told officials he rents out the house and wasn’t aware the dog were being held there.

“They had no access to food or water, some of them had shelters others didn’t',” said Haisley.

Officials hope to be able to adopt out the dogs in the coming weeks but say they first need to make sure each one is healthy.

To see live coverage, click here

John Unger says Schoep’s Legacy Foundation has raised more than $25,000 since Unger and his dog, Schoep, were photographed by a friend, who posted the image to Facebook.

Before the photo was taken, Unger and his veterinarian had been considering putting Schoep down.

“Without treatment, John and I were talking about euthanasia at the end of July,” Erik Haukass, the vet, told the Daily Mail. But through the unsolicited donations from people who saw the photo, Unger was able to treat Schoep and extend his life.

“Schoep is doing incredible right now,” Unger said. ‘The therapies that the people have donated–it’s like turning back the clock a year and a half.”

The foundation was created, Haukass added, when the pair “realized we had received more money than we would reasonably spend on Schoep’s care.”

“It could help another 30 or 40 Schoeps,” Haukass said.

The “Official Fan Page of Schoep and John” has more than 20,000 “likes,” and Hudson has been selling prints of the photo to benefit the cause.

“This 19-year-old [Schoep is] being cradled in his father’s arms last night in Lake Superior,” Hannah Stonehouse Hudson, the photographer, wrote in the Facebook post that sparked the outpouring. “Schoep falls asleep every night when he is carried into the lake. The buoyancy of the water soothes his arthritic bones. Lake Superior is very warm right now, so the temperature of the water is perfect. I was so happy I got to capture this moment for John. By the way, John rescued Schoep as an 8-month-old puppy, and he’s been by his side through many adventures.”

Hudson, a professional photographer, told the Pioneer Press that business is booming since the photo of Unger and Schoep was published–so much so that she recently hired her first employee plus an intern.

“I would say a 30 percent increase in shoots,” Hudson said. “Who knew a favor to a friend would turn into this? It’s completely surreal.”

Because of the public’s generosity, Schoep has been getting expensive joint laser treatments to reduce pain and swelling related to arthritis.

“He’s walking so much faster,” the 49-year-old Unger said. “It’s unbelievable.”

Sunday, October 21, 2012
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
 Kemper Outdoor Education Center
 Lake Jacomo/Fleming Park

Don’t miss this event, it’s always a great time!! For more info visit: Dogtoberfest 2012

For all the info: Greasarama